Parley j



(ModeL) P. J. AYRBS. Adjustable Top for Vehicles.

No. 235,119. Patented Dec. 7, 1880.

UsiiTEn STATES PATENT OEEicE.

PARLEY J. AYRES, OF LINDSAY, ONTARIO, CANADA.

ADJUSTABLE TOP FOR VEHlCLES.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 235,119, dated December '7, 1880.

Application filed November 9, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PARLEY JABEZ AYREs, of Lindsay, in the countyof Victoria, Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Tops for Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a portable top for vehicles which combines the advantages of easy and simple adjustment from the inside of the carriage, facility of attachment and removal from the seat, and economyin space when folded and packed for transportation.

It consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the devices for connecting the frame to the seat; of means for attaching and supporting the main braces on the said frame and seat, to prevent lateral sway; also, in means for facilitating the folding back of the frame and supporting it in that position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved carriagetop. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the socket, pin, and bevel-joint; and Fig. 3 is a side view of the corner-iron.

A is the seat of the vehicle, which is provided with deep tapering sockets B B on the inside and near the front, which receive correspondingly-tapering pins G O. The pin 0 is constructed with a short lateral arm, which extends over the top of the seat and rests in a recess, D, formed in the chair E, which is bolted to the top edge of the seat. By this means the pin O, which serves as a standard to carry the main bows, is held firmly in position, and any lateral movement prevented.

F is an eccentric lever, which is pivoted to one side of the socket-plate, and serves to hold the pin steadily in the socket. The pin terminates in an upright arm, which is beveled, as shown in Fig. 2. The back bow-iron is provided with a corresponding bevel, G, and is bolted to the upright arm of the pin 0, formin g a beveled and dovetailed joint, which facilitates the folding back of the top, prevents any forward movement, and strengthens it in a lateral direction.

H H H are the bows. The bows H H" (or (Model) any greater number that may prefer to use) are secured to irons which are pivoted in any suitable manner to the pin 0.

On the top edge of the rear portion of the seat is secured acorner-iron, 1, one end of which projects beyond the seat, as at J, and serves as a rest or support for the top when folded down. Upright pillars K K are cast on the corner-iron, one of which, K, forms a hearing for the bent end of the back brace, L, and the other, K, has a button, M, pivoted to it, which serves to hold the end of the brace in its bearings.

L is a jointed brace, the upper end of which is secured to the back bow, H, and the lower end is adjustable in bearings K, as heretofore mentioned. It acts as a supplemental support to the top, and allows the top to be folded back in a close compact manner. V

N is a top jointed brace, which breaks downward, and is secured to the front and back bows, H H. The central bow, H, is provided with a support, 0, for the brace N. This projection or support prevents the brace from springing downward, while, by releasing the brace, the front bows are permitted to fold back against the back bow, and allow room to get in and out of the carriage without striking the top.

The principal advantages of my improved top are, quick and easy adjustability, incapability of a lateral or unsteady movement, simplicity in construction, and compactness when folded for removal or transportation. The braces, joints, and steadying attachments are all placed inside, and thus conveniently operated from the seat of the carriage.

By releasing the brace N from the support and springing brace Lthe whole frame can be folded back perfectly flat. When it is desired to disconnect the top from the seat it is only necessary to turn the eccentric lever and button, when the whole top can be easily and expeditiously removed.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The bent tapering pin 0, projecting over the top of the seat A, and chair E, bolted on the top edge of said seat, in combination with the socket B, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The bent tapering pin 0 and chair E, in combination with the eccentric lever F, for retaining said pin in its socket and chair-seat, substantially as shown and described.

3. The pin 0, beveled on its upper portion, or vertical standard, in combination with the back bow-iron, which is provided with a corresponding bevel, G, and bolted to said pin (J, whereby a bevel and dovetailjoint is formed, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a folding carriage-top, the combination of the vertical bows H H H", the transverse hinged brace N, pivoted to the front and back bows, and the support 0, for holding and strengthening said brace, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the seat of a vehicle, the corn er-iron I, one end of which projects beyond the seat to support the top, and having pillars KK and button M, with the back brace, L, pivoted to the bow H, and provided with a tapering bent arm, which has an adjustable bearing in the upright K, substantially in the manner and for the purpose described.

PARLEY JABEZ AYRES. Witnesses:

J. W. DUNSFORD, O. BRITTON. 

